BJØRN STUDIO

Venice

The trip to Europe in June was great. Sean and I visited Italy, Malta, Turkey and Greece, with multiple city and island stops along the way. I love the Mediterranean: the history, the food, the beaches, and laid back culture. There’s so much to see, and so much to tell you about.

Our last stop {top of mind so I will share it first} was Venice. Both Sean and I have been lucky enough to visit Venice before, so we could avoid some of the crowds and focus on a path less traveled. Here are some of the design highlights.

Olivetti Showroom, right on St. Marks Square, is a little jewel by Carlo Scarpa, the Venetian architect who morphed modern and vernacular design to create a highly expressive, localized modernism.

Stumbling upon the Olivetti showroom is like a beacon in the night: it’s different, and if you like modern design you are drawn inside.

View of the entrance from the reflection pond.

Detail of the stairs.

Terrazzo flooring is a signature of Scarpa’s work.

Integrated lighting detail.

In the 19th century, Mariano Fortuny transformed a Gothic Palazzo into his own photography, stage-design, textile-design and painting atelier. Now open to the public, the Fortuny Museum is the antithesis of modern design, as it is decorated in the Romantic style when dream and myth combined.

Typical Fortuny patterns.

There is an abundance of great modern design in Venice, and one happens upon these moments when wandering aimlessly, and getting lost in Venice.

Gate at the Peggy Guggenheim Museum

Detail of gate at the Peggy Guggenheim Museum

Security door at a bank.

Great looking store, with curved windows and doors. Channeling the chic 1970’s…well, I don’t mean the cleaning supplies, which are timeless.